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Russian Court May Put Lake Baikal Watchdog Group Out of Business

"Just about the only local voice for protecting Baikal is facing possible shutdown at the hands of the Russian government. ...

Last year, Russia adopted a law that requires any NGO that gets funding from outside the country and also engages in political activity to register as a 'foreign agent.' In a place like Russia, with has a long history of distrust of outsiders, can be tantamount to being branded a spy. ...

A few weeks ago a court in Irkutsk ordered a local group called Baikal Environmental Wave to register as a foreign agent because, the court ruled, the group meets those two criteria — they get money from outside the country and they engage in political activity. The group says it won't do that."